Jackson Charged in July 15 Arrest
Loretta Hunt Aug 25, 2008
The Orange County District Attorney’s Office has formally charged
Quinton
“Rampage” Jackson (Pictures) with two felony and four
misdemeanor counts stemming from his July 15 arrest in Costa Mesa,
Calif.
Jackson, who sent authorities on a vehicular chase through the streets and sidewalks of Costa Mesa and Newport Beach, was charged with “one felony count of evading while driving recklessly, one felony count of evading a peace officer and driving against traffic, three misdemeanor counts of hit and run with property damage, and one misdemeanor count of reckless driving.”
If convicted, Jackson faces a maximum sentence of three years in
prison. The former UFC light heavyweight champion will be arraigned
on Aug. 28 in Santa Ana, Calif. with bail set at $25,000.
Jackson is accused of sideswiping and causing damage to two vehicles after he drove up on the curb with his raised Ford pick-up truck near State Route-55 and 19th St., according to a press release from the O.C. District Attorney’s Office.
Jackson has not been charged for Griggs’ loss beyond the aforementioned allegations.
“We reviewed all the medical records and spoke with the victim’s physician and the evidence showed that the loss of the fetus was not related to the crash,” said Farrah Emami, spokesperson for the Orange County District Attorney’s Office.
The 30-year-old Jackson allegedly fled the initial collision scene and was flagged by a police officer, who observed the fighter driving on a flat tire and talking on his cell phone. Jackson refused the officer’s requests to pull over and continued to weave in and out of traffic, colliding with another vehicle, said the release.
Jackson then allegedly swerved onto the curb of the wrong side of the street into oncoming traffic, “narrowly missing a bus stop and forcing several pedestrians at the bus stop to run out of the way to avoid being hit.”
Jackson ran multiple lights and nearly struck a pedestrian and two bicyclists as several marked police vehicles joined the pursuit, according to the release. Jackson was eventually taken into custody in Newport Beach.
The outspoken Jackson, who shot to celebrity status with his first-round knockout of light heavyweight king Chuck Liddell (Pictures) at UFC 71 in May 2007, was placed under a 72-hour mental observation at a local hospital the day following his arrest and was later released.
The Memphis native made his first public appearance at a pre-fight press conference for UFC 87 at the Mall of America in Minneapolis on Aug 7. Flanked by UFC President Dana White, a lighthearted Jackson was cheered on by an enthusiastic audience.
White blamed Jackson’s behavior on sleep deprivation, starvation, and “delirium” following the fighter’s five-round decision title loss to Forrest Griffin (Pictures) at UFC 86 a week before the incident.
Rumors have recently swirled that Jackson (28-7) will return to the Octagon as early as December to face Mauricio “Shogun” Rua (16-3) in a rematch of their April 2005 tilt in Pride Fighting Championships, where the Brazilian earned a first-round knockout over Jackson.
Jackson, who sent authorities on a vehicular chase through the streets and sidewalks of Costa Mesa and Newport Beach, was charged with “one felony count of evading while driving recklessly, one felony count of evading a peace officer and driving against traffic, three misdemeanor counts of hit and run with property damage, and one misdemeanor count of reckless driving.”
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Jackson is accused of sideswiping and causing damage to two vehicles after he drove up on the curb with his raised Ford pick-up truck near State Route-55 and 19th St., according to a press release from the O.C. District Attorney’s Office.
Holly Griggs, 38, of Huntington Beach, was reportedly one of the
victims sideswiped by Jackson in her 2007 Escalade vehicle. She has
since miscarried a 16-week pregnancy.
Jackson has not been charged for Griggs’ loss beyond the aforementioned allegations.
“We reviewed all the medical records and spoke with the victim’s physician and the evidence showed that the loss of the fetus was not related to the crash,” said Farrah Emami, spokesperson for the Orange County District Attorney’s Office.
The 30-year-old Jackson allegedly fled the initial collision scene and was flagged by a police officer, who observed the fighter driving on a flat tire and talking on his cell phone. Jackson refused the officer’s requests to pull over and continued to weave in and out of traffic, colliding with another vehicle, said the release.
Jackson then allegedly swerved onto the curb of the wrong side of the street into oncoming traffic, “narrowly missing a bus stop and forcing several pedestrians at the bus stop to run out of the way to avoid being hit.”
Jackson ran multiple lights and nearly struck a pedestrian and two bicyclists as several marked police vehicles joined the pursuit, according to the release. Jackson was eventually taken into custody in Newport Beach.
The outspoken Jackson, who shot to celebrity status with his first-round knockout of light heavyweight king Chuck Liddell (Pictures) at UFC 71 in May 2007, was placed under a 72-hour mental observation at a local hospital the day following his arrest and was later released.
The Memphis native made his first public appearance at a pre-fight press conference for UFC 87 at the Mall of America in Minneapolis on Aug 7. Flanked by UFC President Dana White, a lighthearted Jackson was cheered on by an enthusiastic audience.
White blamed Jackson’s behavior on sleep deprivation, starvation, and “delirium” following the fighter’s five-round decision title loss to Forrest Griffin (Pictures) at UFC 86 a week before the incident.
Rumors have recently swirled that Jackson (28-7) will return to the Octagon as early as December to face Mauricio “Shogun” Rua (16-3) in a rematch of their April 2005 tilt in Pride Fighting Championships, where the Brazilian earned a first-round knockout over Jackson.
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